Thoughts on protesting:

In the modern world, protesting is anti-democratic.

The idea of protesting grew out of the old, but important right of assembly. Assembly was critical in the formation of the Republic because these gatherings would be used to share information and show solidarity. This was necessary in a world where communication traveled slowly. To be certain, assemblies could become angry mobs, but usually only when political or diplomatic measures had been exhausted.

In our world, protesting has become propaganda, a tacit admission that the long-favored method of persuading others to your side through civil discourse (writing, speaking, and debating) will certainly NOT work in your favor. The only recourse you then have is demonstrate such anger that you must be listened to, and any arguments to the contrary are to be ignored. This is often done while peppering the protest with democratic language and pleas ("let's have a dialogue") but in reality the objective is to shame the public to your point of view.

It is an admission of defeat in the marketplace of ideas, and cowardice in the face of opposition. It is not persuasion, but bullying. It's propaganda at it's worst, and since massive social pathology accompanies it, it's also primed to produce the worst of agitation and negativity. Unhealthy to a republic.

Assemblies are good, because they have a point in communication and persuasion. They are ACTION. Protests are inaction."Look at me, I'm holding a sign, durr, so I care."

tl;dr FUCK protesting. It's shit.